Why Choose Open Source?

July 31, 2009 · by Sean Schofield

Are you thinking of creating a new online store or upgrading an existing one? Chances are you have already considered Open Source Software (OSS) or you already using it. If not then its time to get educated on the benefits of such an approach. This is the first in a series of blog posts on how to develop a comprehensive strategy for incorporating open source into your business. Here are a few benefits of following such a strategy.

Cost

Cost is probably the first reason that jumps to mind when you hear the term "open source." There are no license fees to worry about with OSS and there are typically only minor restrictions on how the software is used (depending on the license.) In many cases, the cost of the license is a pretty compelling reason to use an open source product, especially for companies on a budget.

Support

Most commercial software vendors like to brag about the great support they offer. Support is one of those areas where companies make their money so you should be somewhat skeptical of what they are promising you. Many open source projects have very strong communities associated with them. They are filled with developers (and developer shops) that can help you with custom features, installation, etc. Its true that not all contractors are going to do a good job for you but the same can be said for the paid support staff of a commercial vendor.

Open source is generally much easier (and consequently cheaper) to support. These projects tend to have a wider user base (often times tens of thousands of users) and with that comes more developers who know the software. If you took basic economics in college you know that with increased supply, price is generally lower. Some large scale commercial software platforms have large numbers of developers available for support but those individuals tend to cost a lot of money because of their specialized training. With open source the source code and expertise are shared throughout the community. Programmers tend to be compensated based on their level of competence and service instead of their access to proprietary information which is closely held by the vendor.

Security

Open source software is written by dozens of developers and reviewed by hundreds (if not thousands) more. The source code is freely available for all to see. Consequently, security problems are often spotted and fixed quickly. If you think about it this makese perfect sense. The more "pairs of eyes" you have looking at the code the less liklihood of a security problem going undetected. With commercial software, however, you just have the company that sold you the software and a bunch of determined hackers who are trying to figure out how to exploit your software. There's just no incentive for anyone else to evaluate the security features of the software.

Superior Features

Open source software often ends up with superior features to that of commercial software. Maybe you're wondering how this can be since commercial companies somtimes spend millions of dollars a year and open source is typically developed by volunteers. If you've ever worked for a large company you know that the best ideas do not always rise to to the top. In fact, the larger the company the worse the ideas tend to be and they trickle downward until the miserable developers working at the bottom are forced to implement them. I can tell you this from personal experience as a developer.

Open source projects tend to attract very enthusiastic and intelligent developers. Often these developers are writing crappy commercial software in their "day job" and then go home and do their "real work" on open source. The global reach of the Internet makes it easy for these individuals to "find each other" and form communties where they can work together on a superior product. Open source projects also tend to be very inclusive and receptive to new ideas. New features are suggested and often implemented by actual users. Features are not designed by a marketing team or in response to a survey, they are formulated by developers and customers on the frontlines.

Agility

Open source projects tend to be very agile. Bugs are often reported and fixed within days. The developers of the software generally make themselves available on mailing lists and discussion groups to help users of the software. If you are using proprietary software you are subject to the availability of the provider. Companies can go bankrupt and developers can flake out on you. If you're using open source you already own the code and you can probably find another developer familiar with your technology without much difficulty.

Category: Open Source eCommerce | Tags: series